Long retired from the operatic stage, the famous soprano, Tryphosa Swan, is still a force to be reckoned with. Impulsive, imperious, and incredibly rich, she has only one regret in life. Abandoned as a baby, she has never known who her real mother was. An unexpected clue prompts her to confidein her only close friend, Marianne, who advises her to let sleeping dogs lie. Tryphosa has never taken advice, however, and she hires a genealogist - with unexpected results.

A case of mistaken identity, in a snowbound guest house, leads to tragedy when Marjory is wrongly identified as the author of a book declaiming certain mediums. When the son of a deceased medium arrives in the guest house lounge bloodied and bruised, and Marjory is found dead, the finger of suspicion points to him. But the guest house may be haunted, other guests have their secrets, and even the proprietors are not above suspicion..........

There is never a dull moment for Dr Forth. With a hectic work schedule, awkward friendship with an ex-girlfriend and a wife who seems constantly ill, he is bemused by the stranger who claims to have known his second fiancée, who Dr Forth insists does not exist. His wife's health worsens, and with bad luck spreading almost as quickly as bad news, it seems somebody is out to kill her, and anyone else who gets in their way.

The discovery of several bodies buried on the moor sparks police investigation and media attention to a remote moorland village. Adrian is looking for his sister who has disappeared. Jessica's friend Etta has also gone missing. A mysterious suicide, an elaborate insurance scam and a nosy true crime writer add further layers of intrigue until a thrilling denouement.